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Ketchum
Ketchum (ケッチャム, Ketchamu) is the Lieutenant of the Black Brier gang that exists as the legacy to the Raven's own Dark Guild. He's Swartz's right hand, and by extension, also Elaine Lyte's confidant. Appearance Ketchum takes the appearance of a young man in his twenties, sporting distinguishable red hair that messily arcs over to the right side of his face with stray bangs dangling over his similarly ginger colored brow lines and complementing crimson eyes. The fair complexioned man is well built from his many years staying in shape and building his strength to use his magic to the best of his ability. His height and disposition makes him a scary man both in the dark as well as the light should someone recognize his face or the tattoo of his gang wrapping around a bird's talon on his upper back. His chosen apparel is that of a high collared black trench coat, presiding over a long black shirt that fits tightly over his physique over his whole torso. With black gloves matching similar slacks that lead down to dress shoes, the chosen attire hides the hidden cannisters of Darkness Lacrima ontop of a few capsules of Darkness Pills. While unarmed in person, Ketchum is far from defenseless as those who know his dark past will recollect uncomfortably. Personality Ketchum is...well...not the most driven man you can see when first meeting him. The posture and weight of his actions usually simmer around to exasperated and playfully laidback. While some of his humor can be off-puttingly morbid in nature, he often states he jokes to ease the tension of a situation or allow him to analyze his surroundings better. It's only when dealing with his maniac of a boss that he finds himself constantly irate, even going as far as occasionally screaming at his long-time comrade about the lunacy of his actions or how dense he can treat a drastic plan he initiates. Despite this he trusts his commander that he has the best intentions and will do all he can to help mitigate the crisis that follows their wake. However, Ketchum's more hidden side often comes out to play when he finds himself either in a tight jam or is injured by an unsuspecting force. From years spent as a killer Ketchum's suppressed psychosis takes the form of a smiling, eye-gleaming sadist who delights in the suffering and drawn-out torture of his victims. If the fight is over, he'll try to keep them alive if only to play "dissect the body while it lives" and watches with depraved fascination what sounds or movements they make as he tampers with their bodily functions one method to another, depending on his mood. Anger is often replaced with manic glee, using the most destructive and painful means to beat his enemies into the ground and make large splatters across the earth they stand. Surprisingly, whenever Ketchum calms down from these 'phases' he feels slightly sick and disconcerted with himself, almost as if another part of him robbed his motor functions without his consent. Despite this, Ketchum's laidback and level-headed self may be a front but will always hiding a much more crazy side that fits right in with the Swartz led Black Brier gang. Background Ketchum was born in darkness. His only motivation was to survive and to punish those that put him in the abyss. What he didn't know was that he was among the offspring whores had produced but didn't want to keep. Instead of some of the more drastic notions of depriving them of unneeded legacies, a collector of sorts bought them for a hefty fee and brought them to an elusive Mercenary Guild. A Guild that's sole function was to kill and maim their enemies for whoever paid the highest. His motor functions and directives came as priority, the infant soon imprinted with Magic to focus less on thoughts and more on instinct. By the time he could walk he was already murdering insects to small rodents with his limbs or anything he could hold. This carried on to his childhood where he began to use light-weight items to practice his talents in the murdering arts. By the age of ten he was a fully cognitive and effective killing machine, able to harness his senses to near superhuman levels well beyond his years to rival that of an adults. What disturbed the faction that used his talents was that Ketchum was starting to speak fluent speech and imitate accents just by listening or watching passerbiers. Written word somehow fell into his possession, allowing him to expand his mind and slowly unwind the mental imprint that was imbued into his brain. By the age of eleven he became aware of just how disposable he was to the rest of the mercenaries, just in time to thwart an assassination attempt on him by one of his closest comrades. In a bout of flight, knowing his skills were no match for their numbers and experience, Ketchum grabbed what little he had and took off to the hills. Chased through town after town, soon the secretly profiled Mercenary Guild even released his limited known identity across the country. Closed in on at the edge of a cliff leading to the sea, Ketchum fought fiercely but was severely wounded by the group of assassins. Just about to land a killing blow Ketchum leaped off the cliff, aiming for the sea to take him rather than his attackers. Much to his surprise he found himself caught by none other than the Raven, rising upward like a winged wraith. The avian cloaked entity unleashed a Hell no trained murderer could endure or comprehend, annihilating them without a trace of their forms left. Taking a liking to the boy's zeal and abilities, the Raven took him into his custody to nurture and hopefully convince him to work for him. Seeking a new path other than his life as a tool of slaying for others' coins, Ketchum was all the more willing to assist and join the Raven, becoming the first initiate in a Guild he'd create. Being taught Magic and better ways to harness his existing skills, Ketchum soon became a shadow within the Underworld known as the Raven's Talon. His powers and skills soon rose up, secretly hidden from sight only to be used when no witnesses could be left in his wake. Five years into his servitude of the Raven, Ketchum found himself captured and placed in the deepest dungeon of the governing Magic Society of Caelum. There, he met and spoke to the insanely isolated Swartz who was all too happy to see him. Being annoyed by the man's ramblings and stories, Ketchum was relieved when the Raven and his Raven Claws came to spring himself. Insisting that they take the lunatic with him, saying he had a feeling he'd be useful, the Raven acquiesced to the boy's request. From there he'd spend the next ten years learning both what a terror and a nutcase Swartz was to them all. On the fifteenth year of serving the Raven he soon saw his last battle unfold before his eyes. He cried out with anguish fueled despair, nearly sending him irrationally running at the Thunder God himself. However, Swartz did that for him, surprising him that he was able to handle even a slightly spent Wizard Saint. The result unfortunately wrecked the Shadow Peak, crashing it into the ocean and forcing the confrontation to a close, leaving what was left of the Guild to swim to safety. Swartz, deciding to be leader, made Ketchum's life a living Hell of annoyance and exasperation. From having to keep him from being captured, cornered or accidentally wiping out his own men he felt like a walking nanny to the mentally unstable man. Despite this, he had a fondness for the man's charisma and his drive to keep the gang together, safe from rivals and the enemy that was society. While ambitions were unbelievably high, he knew it was a worthwhile goal for the whole of the men to reach. Then, they met Elaine Lyte. The seductive sorceress set her eyes on Swartz, wrapping her finger around his collar as it were and making him her loyal partner. Consequently this also put Ketchum in one too many close encounters that'd make him uncomfortably close to the woman. Despite her apparent attractive appeal, Ketchum's hairs always crawled the closer she got to him, allowing him to avoid anything that could potentially complicate their new found professional disposition. The profession that her treasure hunting guidance allowed them to score bigger finds and access resources than they've had in the last four years. It was only when they decided to assault a river city in the middle of the day that Swartz forgone caution for a chance for him and his men to cut loose. Agreeing to go along with it if only to keep them all out of trouble, Ketchum hadn't a slight idea what they were about to get themselves into. Upon encountering the Phoenix Guild, Ketchum found himself combating enemies worth testing his limits. It wasn't until one such enemy was making him push his potential that he was forced to abandon the fight when Elaine was defeated by one Wess Smith. In the wake of both her and Swartz's defeat, it is unclear where the Shadow Magician is or what his goals are from this point on. Synopsis *Flight of the Phoenix (Debut) Affiliation *'The Murder Guild': An unknown Guild that Ketchum aptly called 'The Murder Guild,' he left it far behind after they attempted to kill him in fear that he'd outweight his use when he'd become too good for his own good. On rare bouts of free time, Ketchum would attempt to seek out agents of this order to extract painful vengeance on the unwitting members. He's counted up to thirty seven members of the Guild he's slain, not including the batch sent to kill him as a child that the Raven slew himself. *'The Underworld': During his flight from The Murder Guild, Ketchum became an infamous face in the eyes of the public. He was sought out by the Punishment Force, the military and other forms of law bringing groups of justice seekers. By the time he was a vital member of the Black Briers he developed a reputation as a trained killer and a Dark Mage that no ordinary bounty hunter should trifle with. Not that any, both legitimate and not, tried only to fail. Natural Skills/Abilities High Magical Power: Ketchum possesses a level of magic only surpassed by Elaine or Swartz himself, effectively making him the third strongest in the line-up of powerful leaders in the Black Brier gang. However, for what he lacks in sheer power or raw strength he uses finite control and manipulation over his Ethernano stores. Enabling his already superhuman feats to exceed their limitations by subtly weaving them around his body, Ketchum can masterfully project this energy to the surface to create precise explosions or shockwaves on a localized scale for distraction or a quick attack unseen or predicted by his enemies. Never to be underestimated, Ketchum proves his worth as the third of the S-Class members in Black Brier. Superhuman Attributes: Imbued with a special imprint magic at infancy to instill a heightened sense of instinct to better erase his weakness of irrelevant thoughts. This allowed his development to string along a path that made his body develop at higher than expected ways. Physically Ketchum is a league above Ishgar's most shining examples of althetics within the military or civilian circles, physically dashing faster than the eye can see and hitting hard enough to punch holes through steel sheets or concrete blocks effortlessly. Adding to the senses raised, he can smell, see, hear and feel his surroundings on a near all-directional radar, allowing him to track or detect threats far in advance even rumoring to allow him to wake on the slightest twinge of danger heading towards him. Whether he can be confirmed as human or not because of this is irrelevant, as these are only footnotes to his true abilities. Incredible Fighte'''r: Regardless of the tool given, Ketchum has developed a plethora of ways to dispose of enemies or combat them should killing them indirectly or forwardly be an issue. A combination of years spent slaughtering for The Murder Guild and then fighting on behalf of the Raven's Claws as the Talon, he uses a style of acrobatics in sync with tae kwon do and kick boxing, though will often mix street fighting variants to fit his own style. Using an array of magic or his own natural super senses to give him an edge, there are rarely any standard mages or soldiers that can provide a challenge to him. '''Unnatural Intelligence: Having developed an ability to soak in information on the fly and adapt it to himself as second nature, Ketchum has often mimicked muscle movements or magic on some level to unnerve his enemies. Even memorizing patterns his enemies fight at is not an uncommonplace, as his photographic semblance of visual memory can allow him scan entire environments with perfect clarity and recreate them in his mind's eye on the flick of a dime. This ability perhaps makes him the most dangerous, whether driven into a corner or on the offensive. Equipment/Tools Darkness Pills: Specially made pills that Ketchum ingests in order to boost his Darkness Magic abilities and raise his Ethernano levels. Depleting after an hour, the side affect of exhaustion and nausea is common when exceeding preferred doses. Darkness Lacrima: Stored in flasks for arranged grand spells or to make good distractions, Ketchum usually has several on him at all times to better prepare for confrontation. Magic Wing Magic: A tribute to the Raven's ability to transform parts of his cloak and body in the body of a raven, Ketchum adopted his own wings being capable of carrying him into high altitude flight. They are black in the form of crow's, and are powered by his use of Darkness Magic as a subsequent skill he perfected over time. Shadow Magic: Despite his age, Ketchum has mastered the arts of Shadow Magic in order to become one of the infamous killer from the night known as The Raven's Talon. Now known as just the Talon, Ketchum's talent for using Shadow Magic to invoke painful ends for his foes has only been expanded and generated to be as lethal as possible. From wrapping shadows around his own skin and morph additional apparatuses to double as mock limbs, Ketchum can take the guise of a demon and fight at enhanced levels that boost his already super senses to leagues beyond it. Firing from a distance or lashing out up close, Ketchum can use the Shadow-Make ability to create more tangible objects as weapons or objects to aid him in conflicts or overcome personal obstacles such as creating a staircase to allow him to climb a tall height. No matter the situation, Ketchum can utilize Shadow Magic at a master level only below those who've spent far much time perfecting it to their own level. Telepathy: Adept at using this to communicate with the rest of his allies, Ketchum can employ this ability at will by simply gesturing to the side of his temples with a spare hand. Behind the scenes/Trivia *Ketchum's appearance is based off the Rail Tracer, Vino, in the Anime Baccano! *Ketchum, despite being Swartz's right hand man, is depicted as third strongest of the line-up in the 3 Elite S-Class Dark Wizards of Black Brier. Category:The Raven Category:Swartz Category:Elaine Lyte Category:Black Brier Category:Flight of the Phoenix Category:Dark Mage